a medical librarian's adventures in evidence-based living

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The Only Thing Close to Plant-Based was Dinner at Chili's - The Black Bean Burger Platter - Yes, We Ate the Fries

Hotel Breakfast Buffet Heaven for This Three-Year Old - The Waffle Maker! Please Don't Judge Us

Our Subaru was expertly packed to the gills by the Lab Rat--loaded with boogie boards, beach chairs, a Potty Chair, a porta-potty, a Pack-n-Play, a VitaMix, 2 coolers, cars, picture books, & loads of food.

Whew! I'm finally back from a fantastic family beach vacation and I can't wait to share the story of how 15 people--from ages 9 months to 62 years old, married & single, no-nesters, empty-nesters, & full-nesters, hipsters & oldsters, meat-eaters & vegans, night-owls & early risers, exercisers & slackers, with lots of different interests--found vacation harmony, enjoyed amazing gourmet meals & beachtime together & still found plenty of time to do their own thing.

My family rocks!

Yes, I admit, I was a little worried that we could pull this one off & still feel like it was a real vacation. And, it totally worked. Laid back. Relaxing. Good times. But, that's a whole other post.

Gotta ease back slowly into the blogging groove with a short recipe post, first. I've grown lazy.

I've been wanting to share one of my favorite new recipes, that I adapted from my Go-To cookbook: Robin Robertson's Quick Fix Vegan.

I've already made this four times--so you know it's got to be good!

I planned on making this while on vacation--but, I never had a chance. Made it on the first night we got back home.

So here you go!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

When My Sister or Sister-in-Law Recommend Recipes They Always Rock!

Dinner on the First Night Home from Vacation

When my sister-in-law (who's an excellent cook) told me she loved the Quick-Fix Vegan's Sicilian-Style Orzo Salad I knew it would be a winner. Couldn't wait to try it. But, the dressing needed a serious re-do!

This salad is sweet, spicy, savory & satisfying. No shrinking violet, this one. It packs a flavor & nutrient punch & is perfect company fare.

I adapted the recipe to eliminate the oil, & I substituted capers for the kalamata olives. To say the Lab Rat HATES olives, is an understatement. So does my sister-in-law. Must be a family thing.

Here's my oil-free adaptation of Robin Robertson's recipe.

I present two versions.

One with a dressing made with cashews.

One with a dressing made with soymilk & chia seeds.

The taste & texture of both are very similar! Both will work. And ditch the toasted walnuts if you are on a strict Esselstyn Heart Disease Prevention/Reversal Diet.

1/2 cup of raw cashews soaked for about 30 minutes in 1/2 cup water. You can do this before you prepare the other ingredients.

1/4 cup of fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon of water

2 teaspoons of brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, optional

1/2 teaspoon of ground fennel. This is a MUST ingredient. Can substitute whole fennel seed, if using a VitaMix--or grind in a coffee grinder.

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (less if you don't like a lot of spice) Note: add this after the dressing is made--you don't want it to be ground up or it will be too strong.

1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Note: add this after the dressing is made--you don't want it to be ground up, either.

Preparation:

Add the cashews with the soaking water, the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of water, vinegar, sugar, garlic cloves, salt & ground fennel into a VitaMix or other blender. Mix very well. If you don't have a VitaMix, it may take longer to get the cashews a creamy consistency

1/2 teaspoon of ground fennel. This is a MUST ingredient. Can substitute whole fennel seed, if using a VitaMix--or grind in a coffee grinder beforehand.

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (less if you don't like a lot of spice) Note: add this after the dressing is made--you don't want it to be ground up

1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Note: add this after the dressing is made--you don't want it to be ground up

Preparation:

Add the soymilk, chia seed, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic cloves, sugar, sea salt, & ground fennel into a VitaMix or other blender. Mix very well. If you don't have a VitaMix, it may take longer to get the chia seeds well mixed.

I am going to try this! Last night I made Chesapeake Chickpea Sandwiches p. 105 in Quick Fix. Really good, hubby had 2 of them. Happy to have you back online. Great to hear about your vacation adventures and see your nice looking family.

In April I started the plant based way of life! I am so grateful for people like itself that post encouragement, recipes & on so that we newbies can learn how to be healthy! Thank u & I look forward to many more posts!

Re the fries - I ate fries this weekend myself, at a restaurant that had a veggie menu available on request - five items, and I chose the GardenBurger, which came with fries. I didn't regret the fries so much as going for the dessert - a peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream - now THAT was a mistake, delicious as it was. I'd been to this restaurant four or five years ago, and at that time they did NOT have a veggie menu, so plant-based is spreading (or, alternatively, maybe they did and I just didn't notice it, as I was not on the plant-based plan myself yet).

I've been on the Esselstyn diet for 8 months now and have had issues with fatigue on this diet. I'm taking the recommended 1000ug of B-12 but still need to see an improvement in my energy levels. I also found out I'm Gluten intolerant so now the Esselstyn diet gets even more restrictive as I ditch the gluten based whole grains.

I made the orzo salad with cashew dressing last night for dinner and we liked it a lot--had it for lunch today too, and there's still some left for tomorrow because I doubled the recipe (!) for three of us because I wanted to be sure to have leftovers.

I've really wanted to try these "No-Oil Sicilian-Style Orzo Salad with Toasted Walnuts & Raisins", It's too bad there is no recipe included on your post or did I just missed it. On the other hand, @Judith, based from my readings from http://products.mercola.com/vitamin-b12-spray/, choosing veggies over meats can potentially lead to vitamin b12 deficiency, is there any proof of this being true?

@Judith: Sorry to hear that you're experiencing fatigue. Definitely, see your physician to first make sure that something else isn't causing your fatigue--it has many causes; Get checked for celiac. If you have it--you aren't properly absorbing nutrients, including B-12, D, etc. Get your B-12 level checked. Be sure you're getting enough protein (from beans, which have lysine). I drink soy milk (make my oatmeal with it), eat tofu & tempeh to boost my protein intake. There are wheat-free brown rice or pea protein powders, too--if that's your problem. Be sure you're getting enough iron (check with your dr.)--beans are a great source. Be sure you're eating ENOUGH calories--that's a usual culprit in fatigue. I don't know your age--but my doc routinely checks all women after age 50 for hypothyroidism--a very common problem. Read Ginny Messina's book--Vegan for Life--she's an RD & her book in research based. Look at her co-author's (Jack Norris') website for more info on nutrition. Hope this helps. There are just so many possible reasons for fatigue--the most common medical complaint--but, your doc can check for any medical causes.

It's really wonderful what you are doing. You are using your God-given time and talent to promote health. I've already gleaned so many great ideas from your blog (that are feasible in my life)- and have gotten encouraged as well.

You are truly a wonderful person and a light. You are helping so many!